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After just under two months, Blizzard revealed the new look for Anran in Overwatch. After waves of complaints about her initial design, the studio decided to give her a makeover that's now more fitting for the kind of character the devs want her to be.
Aaron Keller, game director of Overwatch, introduces the changes in a short video. "We think she could come across older and that her original version was too innocent and playful," he says, over a contrast of her old and new looks.
"We made some adjustments to her face," he continues. "We focused on her eyes, eyebrows, and mouth, and we moved away from that baby face, look, and expression, to something more sincere and more mature."
In Season 2, we’re introducing an updated look for Anran. She didn’t fully land as the fiery and fierce sister of Wuyang that we hoped she would. With this update, our team focused on strengthening her overall presence. This evolution reflects both our creative intent and the… pic.twitter.com/1AwaVDuzdoApril 6, 2026
He highlights the "simple posture change" that helps "Anran feel more like Anran." Some of these are subtle alterations, but combined they do make the character seem older and more distinct, whereas before she came across a bit cartoony and cookie-cutter.
One of the most important facets is how this makes her look compared to her brother, Wuyang. The family resemblance is generally more pronounced, which is a nice touch. Fareeha Andersen, the voice actor of Anran, approves of all the tweaks. "So grateful for this update, she looks much more like the strong older sibling we knew her to be!" they tweeted.
Anran's fresh look will come in Overwatch season 2, and this turnaround has been a learning experience for Blizzard when it comes to the slate of new heroes who'll be joining the roster. "We have five more heroes coming in this year, and we want all of them to feel true to who they are," Keller adds. "Going through this process has really helped the team dial in this next set of heroes."
